


Growing Up Gallagher

by Fallenstar92



Series: No Regrets, Just Love [5]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Cute Kids, Daddy Ian, Daddy Mickey, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Making Love, Married Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Mpreg, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post Mpreg, Protective Ian Gallagher, Protective Mickey Milkovich, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-01-22 07:08:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12476128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fallenstar92/pseuds/Fallenstar92
Summary: A companion story to "Please Stay Forever With Me" following Mickey and Ian through their first five years with their daughter, Mayla.





	1. Our Girl

When Mickey first returned home from the hospital with his husband and their newborn daughter, he was nervous as fuck; he had been terrified the first time he'd changed his daughter's diaper, and had no fucking idea how he and Ian were going to do this. "Sleeps just like you." Ian murmured, glancing over Mickey's shoulder at where their daughter was sleeping comfortably in Mickey's arms, making adorable little sniffling noises with her hand pressed against her cheek.

"She's so fuckin' quiet." Mickey stated as he stroked Mayla's fist with his thumb. "Can't believe she's ours." Mickey was fucking emotional; he was hormonal from just giving birth, falling more in love with his daughter and husband every second, feeling guilty-as he always did-for hiding the miscarriage he'd suffered two years ago from Ian, and-more than anything-wishing their first child was here with Ian, Mayla, and himself.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Mickey hadn't realized he was crying until Ian asked him what was wrong; why the hell couldn't he just tell him? Why couldn't he just tell Ian that he had been pregnant before Mayla?

"Fine." Mickey rasped, sniffing to fight back tears. "Jus' tired." He wasn't lying, of course, but that was the only part of his problem. "Gonna lay her down." Mickey whispered, standing up to gently lay Mayla in her crib, standing over her to watch the adorable baby girl get comfortable in her bed for the first time.

"Mick, baby, you know if somethin's wrong you can tell me, right?" Ian questioned, moving to Mickey's side. "You know we can do this, right? We always handle anything life throws our way, 'cause we have each other's back."

"I know." Mickey was actually being honest with Ian, here, because he knew Ian would always be there for him. "Can you just lay down with me for awhile? Wanna get some sleep since she's out."

"Of course, baby." Ian agreed, taking Mickey's hand and leading him to their bed to take a nap while Mayla slept peacefully in her crib on the other side of the bedroom the family of three was currently sharing. Their situation wasn't ideal by any stretch of the imagination-living in a tiny bedroom in Mickey's childhood home with his mother, sister, and brother-but considering their ages and the fact that they hadn't been able to save enough money to find an apartment before their daughter was born, they would make this work until they could afford their own home.

* * *

"Mikhailo and Mayla must still be sleeping." Katia whispered from her spot at the kitchen table as Ian walked out of the bedroom he shared with his family.

"May woke up for a minute, but after I changed her she fell back to sleep." Ian told his mother-in-law as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Mick's out like a light."

"I remember after my Vigo was born, I could barely stay awake when he was not." Katia giggled fondly at the memory. "I was so exhausted when Mikhailo was first born; I had a four-year-old who was full of energy, and a very sickly baby."

"How long did it take for him to start gettin' better?" Ian asked, taking a seat across from Katia.

"He was... Six months, maybe? He just started gaining weight and looked healthier out of nowhere." Katia explained. "He was a very smart baby-he started walking and talking very early-and it was very easy for him to learn English once I started teaching him."

"Mickey's smart as Hell; always amazes me how someone that smart chose me." Ian admitted. "Beautiful, too; glad Mayla looks more like him."

"Ian, you are wonderful." Katia said in a gentle tone, though her gorgeous blue eyes looked deadly serious. "And yes, Mayla does look more like Mikhailo. Yes, my Mikhailo is a beautiful boy, but Mayla would be just as beautiful if she looked more like you than Mikhailo."

"You're amazing, you know that, Mama?" Ian asked, smiling at the woman who looked exactly how he imagined his daughter would look when she grew up.

"Thank you." Katia chirped with a sweet smile as Mickey and Ian's bedroom door opened and Mickey emerged with a softly whimpering Mayla in his arms.

"I can feed her if you wanna go back to sleep, baby." Ian offered, standing up to take Mayla into his arms.

"Nah, I got her." Mickey said, leaning over to kiss Mayla's forehead. After getting some rest, Mickey felt a little more confident in his decision to keep his miscarriage from Ian; he knew it wasn't his fault-or anyone's, for that matter-that he'd lost the baby, no matter how badly it'd hurt him, and he simply did not want Ian to experience that pain. "Hold her while I get her bottle?" Ian nodded as Mickey passed Mayla to him, watching his husband fondly as Mickey meticulously mixed formula for their daughter.

While Ian was still slightly worried about Mickey, but considering his husband seemed fine at the moment, he would simply continue to love and support the brunette man he cared for more than anyone else.


	2. Little Wonders

Eight weeks. Eight weeks Ian and Mickey had officially been parents to their beautiful baby girl, Mayla Katelyn Gallagher, and they loved that little girl so much it actually hurt. Mayla was such a content baby-never crying or fussing like Ian remembered Debbie, Carl, and Liam doing-that Ian and Mickey often caught themselves of watching Mayla sleep. "Hey, beautiful." Mickey cooed, lifting his daughter up early in the morning on March eighteenth-two months and a day after she was born-seeing that Mayla was wide awake, staring at the little teddy bear mobile hanging over the crib.

"You ready to have your breakfast, sweet girl?" Mickey asked quietly, trying to let Ian get some more sleep. The redhead was working his ass off, right now; he goes to school at eight AM every weekday, went straight to work at three PM from school, studied during lulls in his shift for his EMT testing he planned to do once he turned eighteen, then came home and helped Mickey with their daughter. Mickey appreciated what his husband was doing, but he wished he could do something to help the redheaded teen; he was still off on Maternity leave and wouldn't be starting his new job at the garage until May, so he was spending all of his time taking care of Mayla until he went back to the meat packing plant next month, and he felt like he wasn't doing enough to help Ian.

"Good morning, Mikhailo." Katia greeted her son as he entered the kitchen with Mayla in his arms. "How is my sweet Mayla this morning?" She asked in a velvety soft voice as she gazed down at the infant girl in complete awe.

"Kid never fuckin' cries, I swear." Mickey said, allowing his mother to hold Mayla as he prepared her bottle.

"She must have got that from my Ian; you cried all the time as a baby." Katia giggled, adjusting the squirming infant in her arms. "I think she wants her... What is it Philip calls you... Mama! She wants her Mama back."

"Not you, too, Ma!" Mickey groaned, but gladly taking his daughter back into his arms. "Your grandma is a damn menace, kiddo."

"I have every right; my children cried constantly at her age." Katia chided with a smug smile. "Besides, you are technically her mother."

"Act like I don't know that shit. Don't mean I wanna be called fuckin' "Mama" all the time." Mickey grumbled, watching Mayla as she happily drank her bottle.

"Was wonderin' where you two went off to." Ian yawned as he exited the family's bedroom. "Mornin' baby." Ian whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the brunette man's lips. "Morning, Daddy's little princess." Ian leaned down and kissed Mayla's forehead as the girl guzzled down her breakfast.

"No good morning for your mother-in-law?" Katia asked with an exaggerated pout.

"Can't forget you, Mama." Ian replied sweetly, hugging his mother-in-law tightly. "Let me finish up with her so you can get your coffee, baby." Ian gently instructed, taking Mayla and the bottle to allow Mickey to get his first cup of coffee for the day. Ian smiled as he watched Mayla eat, loving these quiet moments with his little girl first thing in the morning.

Mickey and Katia stood back with coffee in their hands, watching Ian as he hummed some song neither of them could identify to the baby in his arms as she finished eating. "All done, Princess!" Ian praised as he proceeded to burp Mayla calmly, seemingly in his element.

"He is good with her." Katia observed, loving how happy her son looked as he watched Ian talk to Mayla. "He is good to you, too." Mickey knew what Katia was getting at, but he simply wasn't ready for this conversation.

"How'd you know?" He hid his miscarriage well; Mickey knew he'd covered all of his bases and insured no one would discover what had happened.

"I am your mother, Mikhailo; I can see when you are hurting. When you look at her? You hurt. Not because you do not love her-it is clear as the day you love Mayla-but because you miss someone you never got to know, and wish Mayla could know them, as well." Though they were whispering and Ian was on the other side of the room, Mickey was still terrified Ian would hear what his mother was saying. "I will not tell him." Katia promised her son quietly.

"Thanks." Mickey managed to rasp, though he knew she wanted him to tell Ian at some point.

"Mick, come here." Ian said, trying to sound calm, but the smile on his face betrayed that something was going on. Mickey pushed off the counter and walked over to the chair Ian was seated in, looking over the redhead's shoulder to see Mayla fucking  _smiling_ at them! "You're seein' this, right?"

"Holy shit." Mickey muttered, amazed by the fact that it was even possible for his daughter to look more perfect than before. "Hey there, sweet girl; you happy to see Daddy?"

"Mama, come 'ere." Ian excitedly probed, proudly showing off the smile Mayla was sporting to his mother-in-law. "She's got Mick's smile, already."

"This? This is what makes all of the struggles worth it, my boys; seeing your child smile at you-knowing they love you as deeply as you love them-makes every moment of lost sleep worth it." Katia explained, staring at her granddaughter as if she were the greatest gift she'd ever received. And it was clear to anyone, she truly was for Mickey and Ian.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me some comments to let me know what you think, beauties! Much love!


	3. Panic

When Mayla was five months old, Mickey started feeling incredibly anxious, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly why; his job at the garage was going well, he and Ian were as happy together as ever, and Mayla was the most perfect baby Mickey could ever dream of. He had a good life, so why did he have this sinking feeling that-if he walked away from Mayla for even a second-she would be gone? "Mick?" Ian groggily asked from where he was laying in their bed, sitting up when he noticed Mickey was standing over Mayla's crib. "She wake up?"

"No." Mickey answered, honestly. "Jus'... Just watchin' her." Mickey had no fucking idea why he couldn't just go to bed-couldn't just step away from the crib-even if he wanted to explain it to Ian.

"Come back to bed, baby; she's sleepin' and you gotta go to work in a few hours." Mickey knew Ian was right, but he couldn't force himself to move away from where Mayla was sleeping peacefully in her crib. "What's wrong, baby?" Ian asked, moving to look down at Mayla, himself. "Mickey, May's fine; she's sleepin' just fine, and you should be, too."

"What if she ain't here when I wake up?" Mickey asked quietly, reaching down to touch Mayla's soft hand with his index finger. "What if I wake up and something happened to her? What if we lose her 'cause I walked away for a second?"

"Look at me, Mickey." Ian ordered, lifting Mickey's chin so their eyes met. "Our daughter is fine, Mick; she's here, she's alive, and she's so fuckin' beautiful... We have our girl, and she's not goin' anywhere." Ian promised his husband, moving his free hand to smoothe down Mayla's dark curls. "I promise you, Mickey, when you wake up Mayla is still gonna be here, and she's gonna be just fine."

"I love her." Mickey's voice was rough-clearly holding back tears-as he looked back at Mayla. "I love her, and I don't wanna lose my baby girl."

"You wanna put her in bed with us for tonight? I know everyone thinks it's a bad idea, but if it helps you sleep, we'll try it." Ian suggested, just wanting to help Mickey get some sleep before he had to get up for work.

"Yeah." Mickey agreed, nodding as he moved to gently pick Mayla up, hoping he didn't wake the baby up. Ian was already back by their bed, setting the co-sleeper "baby nest"-and Christ did Mickey fucking hate saying they owned something called a "baby nest"-that Iggy "bought" them in the middle of the bed. Mickey laid Mayla in the little black and white striped baby bed, letting her get comfortable before he crawled into the bed with Ian and their daughter.

"She sleeps like a log, man." Ian laughed softly, placing his hand on Mayla's stomach, watching his hand rise and fall with each breath the baby took. "She looks so much like you."

"She's fuckin' perfect." Mickey stated warmly, allowing Mayla to clasp his index finger in her tiny fist. They had learned within the first two weeks of Mayla's life that she slept better if she could hold onto something-whether it was one of her little toys, her scratch mittens, or one of their fingers, anything as long as there was something clasped in her fist-and neither man seemed to mind allowing their daughter to find some comfort in holding on to them. "Wonder why she does that."

"Think it's just her way of not feelin' alone; Carl used to hold onto his ear when he was sleepin'." Ian whispered in response, leaning over to kiss Mayla's nose. "She likes knowin' her Mama is right here with her."

"Will you stop callin' me that?" Mickey groaned, burying his face in his pillow. As much as he hated people making him feel feminine, he hadn't actually thought of anything else for Mayla to call him once she started talking; he secretly liked the idea of her calling him Mama, but he would never tell Ian that.

"Nope; I've been sayin' I was her Daddy since the day we found out you were pregnant, but you never once said a name. So, since you didn't pick, we picked for you." Ian chirped, smiling brightly at Mickey. "Besides, it's kinda cute."

"Whatever." Mickey mumbled. "I love you. You know that, right?" Mickey asked, looking away from Mayla to meet Ian's eyes.

"I know you do, Mick. I love you, too... So fuckin' much." Ian replied, watching Mickey fall asleep, his hand still in their daughter's. Ian was concerned about his husband-concerned that this had something to do with the fact that it was a week away from the one year anniversary of Terry's attack on him and Mayla-and was determined to help make Mickey feel as safe as possible over the next week.

 

"Hey, guys!" Fiona greeted as Mickey and Ian entered the Gallagher house with Mayla giggling in Mickey's arms. "Someone's in a good mood!" Fiona cooed, stealing her niece away from her brother-in-law. "Hi, May!"

"She's been laughin' all day." Mickey said, kissing his daughter's chubby cheek.

"You're happy you get to see your Aunty Fi, aren't you, pretty girl?" Fiona asked the baby in her arms. "God, she's the prettiest baby, I swear."

"You surprised? Look at Mickey." Ian scoffed playfully, side-hugging his sister. "My babies are gorgeous."

"Gross, man." Lip chuckled, exiting the kitchen with a beer in each hand, immediately handing on to Mickey. "Saw Ian was the one driving, so he's not drinking."

"Sorry, baby." Mickey chuckled, kissing the taller boy.

"Yeah right, asshole." Ian teased, turning his attention back to Mayla. "Mama's mean to Daddy, Princess." Mayla giggled loudly, reaching up to touch Ian's mouth.

"Daddy's a dick, sweet girl." Mickey cooed to his daughter, kissing his daughter's little cheek.

"You two are seriously gross." Lip laughed. "I don't even have a damn kid and I'm not like that with Mandy."

"Then watch your brother and learn how to treat your girlfriend; Ian is good to my damn brother." Mandy ordered her boyfriend as she entered the house, followed closely by Carl, Debbie, and Liam. "Carl, go put the pizza on the table."

"Yeah yeah." Carl grumbled under his breath, taking the pizza to the coffee table as Debbie sat a few two liter soda bottles down.

"The hell did you get to the pizza?" Mickey asked, taking a drink of his beer.

"Kev lent me his truck; him and Vee are comin' over later." Mickey felt nervous, now; almost everyone who had been here the night Terry attacked him seemed to be coming here for movie night, a year to the day it happened.

"Hey, Fi, can you keep May for a minute?" Ian asked, placing his hand on the small of Mickey's back and leading him out the door when Fiona had nodded. "Everything is okay, Mick. He's gone, and no one is comin' anywhere near you or Mayla; I won't let anyone hurt you two." Ian promised Mickey, holding his pale face between his freckled hands.

"I... I don't..." Mickey had no idea what he wanted to say; what could he say? He was safe, Ian was safe, and Mayla was safe; why was he still so fucking scared?

"Have I ever let you down?" Ian asked, tipping his head forward just enough to let his forehead rest against Mickey's.

"No." Mickey whispered in response, letting his own hands fall to Ian's hips.

"Then trust me to keep you two safe; to keep my family safe." Ian pleaded. "We're gonna stay out here for a minute, you're gonna smoke a cigarette, and then we're gonna go back inside and have a good time with our daughter and the rest of the family."

"Why do you put up with me?" Mickey asked in an attempt to joke as he accepted a cigarette Ian lit for him.

"Because I love you, and I don't want anyone else." Ian said softly, sitting on the steps and allowing Mickey to drop into his lap. "He doesn't get to ruin this for you-ruin the time we have with May while she's this little-and I'm gonna be here with you, helping you get through this shit. Got it?"

"Got it." Mickey answered, slotting his mouth with Ian's. He was still fucking terrified that something was going to go wrong, but Ian was right; they only had a short time with Mayla as a baby, and he was going to enjoy every fucking minute he had with his baby girl and his husband.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me some comments to let me know what you think, beauties! Much love!


	4. Moving Day

Less than a month before Mayla's first birthday Mickey and Ian moved their little family into their new apartment. It wasn't necessarily the nicest place, but Mickey loved it; loved that Mayla finally had her own bedroom, and that he and Ian had a room to themselves for the first time since their daughter was born. "Place is pretty nice." Fiona said, looking around at the small main room, already furnished with second hand couch, arm chair, coffee table, kitchen table, and TV the couple had managed to purchase for a fairly decent price.

"I like it." Mickey said with a smile, holding Mayla's hands as she clumsily walked around. "You like it, Sweet Girl?"

"Yeah!" Mayla giggled, stomping her little feet. "Da!" Mayla took her hands out of Mickey's and crawled as fast as her clumsy hands and knees would carry her, holding her arms up when she made it the short distance, wanting her father to hold her.

"My princess." Ian said cheerily, picking his daughter up and holding her close to his chest. "Daddy loves his princess."

"Crib's set up!" Kev exclaimed as he and Lip exited Mayla's new bedroom. "If it ain't my little girlfriend!" Kev fucking loved Mayla; he would steal her away any chance he got, and absolutely fucking preened when she'd smile or laugh at him.

"Ke!" Mayla laughed, reaching out to touch the man's chin. 

"Gonna make Vee jealous, beautiful." Lip cooed, planting a kiss on his niece's temple. "Not everyday a princess tries to steal your man!" He directed to the kitchen where Mandy and Vee were putting dishes away.

"She can have him!" Vee replied, blowing a kiss at Mayla-an action the baby adorably tried to copy-with a wink in Mickey's direction, knowing this always pissed Ian off.

"My baby girl ain't datin' until she's forty." Ian declared, hugging Mayla closer to himself. "You're gonna stay Daddy's baby forever, aren't you, May?"

"Da!" Mayla laughed, dropping slobbery kisses on Ian's chin.

"That's right." Ian laughed, holding his hand up for a high five, laughing even harder when Mayla slapped his palm.

"She's such a Daddy's girl." Fiona whispered to Mickey, clearly amused by Ian's interaction with his baby girl.

"He fuckin' loves that girl." Mickey agreed, trying not to laugh when it appeared Mayla decided to eat Ian's nose. "Think she just knows he'd do anything for her." And Ian had; he'd stayed in school, passed his EMT testing with flying colors, and saved every penny he could-just like Mickey had-in order to get their little family a home of their own.

"You guys are doin' good; I'm proud of both of you." Fiona said, patting Mickey's back. "Everything unpacked?" Fiona asked the room full of people, looking around for more boxes.

"All but Ian and Mick's "clothes."" Mandy chuckled, earning the finger from her older brother. "You really expect us to believe it's all clothes?"

"Is. Don't need fuckin' toys when I married a guy who's packin' nine inches." Mickey deadpanned.

"Didn't need to know how big my brother's dick is!" Lip yelled, covering his ears. "Let's fuckin' go before they show us where Mayla came from!"

"Wait, I wanna hear that story!" Vee declared, laughing hysterically as her husband dragged her out of the apartment behind Fiona, Mandy, and Lip.

"We're home." Ian said, stepping closer to Mickey with Mayla still in his arms.

"Yeah. Finally home." Mickey sighed, wrapping his arms around Ian's waist, basking in his little moment with his man and their daughter.

 

"She finally asleep?" Mickey asked Ian as he walked into Mayla's bedroom after doing their dishes from dinner, watching his husband as he rocked Mayla gently in his arms. Ian had told Mickey he would put the rather fussy infant to bed, knowing Mickey could use the moment of silence in the kitchen after the stressful day of moving into their new home.

"Just about; she was fightin' it pretty hard for a little while." Ian murmured, kissing his daughter's forehead. "Goodnight, princess." He whispered to the beautiful baby girl, who was finally fast asleep in his arms. Ian carefully laid Mayla in her crib, watching for just a moment-ensuring Mayla was still sleeping-before exiting the nursery with his husband. "Wanna enjoy having a room away from May?"

"What'd you have in mind?" Mickey asked, lacing his fingers in Ian's soft red hair.

"Both of us naked in our bed, you on your back with your legs around my waist, begging me to make you cum." Ian purred against Mickey's throat. "Gonna fuck you slow and hard; have you moaning my name until you can't take it anymore."

"Fuck." Mickey moaned, squeezing Ian's clothed dick with a shaking hand. Quick shower sex, handjobs, and blowjobs were fine, but considering that was the extent of their sex life for almost a year, Mickey was fucking desperate to take their time. "Bed. Now." Ian wasn't about to argue-he wanted to watch Mickey fall apart underneath him-so he ushered his husband to their bedroom and started stripping him as soon as he could.

"Kiss me." Ian ordered, pulling Mickey into a kiss that was more tongue and teeth than anything else.

"Fuck. Take your clothes off." Mickey moaned, stripping Ian of his skin-tight black t-shirt and raking his nails down the other man's abdomen. "Holy shit." Mickey actually fucking  _whimpered,_ his eyes glued to Ian's muscular upper body. Ian had worked his ass off during his time in JROTC and it had always shown, but once he began working as an EMT his muscles looked more defined than ever before. Mickey loved the look of his body, and it had been a struggle for him to keep his hands off his husband.

"God, you look so good, baby." Ian whispered, pulling the lobe of Mickey's left ear into his mouth with his teeth. "So fuckin' pretty." Mickey couldn't reply, he was too busy removing Ian's sweatpants and lying down on their bed, pulling Ian to lay on top of him.

"Fuck, I need you right now." Mickey moaned, pushing Ian back and snatching the lube from the redhead's hands. He smirked when he caught the realization on Ian's face as he gasped, watching Mickey finger himself open.

"Holy fuck, Mick." Ian panted, slowly pumping his dick as the brunette in front of him bent his knees to give him a better show once he was three fingers deep in his own hole.

"Ian." Mickey moaned, throwing his head back when he crooked his fingers to rub his prostate.

"Fuck! You gotta stop." Ian groaned, slowly pulling Mickey's fingers from his hole, slipping a condom on, and thrusting into his husband's tight, hot ass.

"Fuckin' finally!" Mickey gasped, wrapping his legs around Ian's waist-just as Ian had instructed in their living room-and thrusting his hips back against Ian's cock. Ian thrusted hard and slow into Mickey, drinking in all of the moans, gasps, and pants pouring out of the beautiful brunette's mouth as he pinned both of the shorter man's arms over his head with one hand, knowing Mickey would get desperate to speed shit up the way he always did and start pumping his dick any second if he didn't. "Harder." Mickey whimpered, closing those big, beautiful blue eyes in complete ecstasy as Ian complied, thrusting harder and angling his hips to nail Mickey's prostate with every thrust.

"Fuckin' love you so much, baby." Ian moaned into Mickey's ear as he draped his body over his husband, trapping the other man's throbbing, leaking cock between them. "Fuck! How the Hell are you still so fuckin' tight?" Ian had been with two other men before Mickey-something he severely wished wasn't true-and neither of them were as tight as Mickey, even after he'd given birth to their daughter less than a year ago.

"Close." Mickey panted, canting his hips a little faster in an attempt to achieve his orgasm. "Ian, baby, I gotta cum. Please, baby." Mickey was never scared to beg Ian for what he wanted in bed, and Ian thought it was the sexiest fucking thing he'd ever heard. He could never deny Mickey what he wanted, so he sped up his thrusts, biting down on Mickey's shoulders the way the brunette liked and gasped when Mickey tightened around him and his hot cum covered their stomachs. "Ian!"

"God, Mick." Ian couldn't hold back his own orgasm any longer, filling the condom with his own release as he fucked both of them through the aftershocks of their orgasms. "Holy shit, that was good."

"Always is with us." Mickey agreed, trying to regain his regular breathing as Ian pulled out, removed his condom, and cleaned them both up. "Fuck, I need to lose this weight." Mickey looked down at his stomach with a grimace at the slightly softer center.

"You look amazing, baby." Ian assured, dropping down on the bed next to Mickey and caressing his stomach. "You always looked beautiful, you know that, right?"

"Still fat after havin' May." Mickey mumbled, subconsciously leaning into Ian when the redhead kissed his hair.

"You're not fat, Mickey." Ian scoffed. "You're stomach is soft, but it's as flat as ever."

"Bullshit." Mickey laughed humorlessly. He was never incredibly confident, but after giving birth to their daughter-who he loved more than anything or anyone on Earth, aside from her father-he felt like he would never fully recover from the weight gain. "You look fuckin' perfect."

"So do you. Face it, Mick; we're fuckin' hot." Ian said, making Mickey full-on belly laugh. He fucking loved this man so much. "And you know what? I like your soft stomach; it reminds me every day that you loved me enough to carry our baby girl." Mickey looked up into the beautiful, lively green eyes Ian had passed down to their daughter, seeing nothing but love in them. "What?"

"I love you." Mickey whispered, leaning up enough to connect their lips in a soft, sweet kiss. Ian smiled when they pulled away from one another, pulling Mickey closer. Mickey wrapped those strong arms tightly around Ian, giving the younger man the sense of safety they always had.

"I love you, too, my baby." Ian whispered as he fell asleep in those arms he loved so much; the arms he wanted to spend his entire life in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me some comments, my beauties! Much love!


	5. This Is Halloween

"Got your bag!" Mandy shouted as she entered Mickey and Ian's apartment carrying a triangular canvas trick-or-treat bag painted to resemble candy corn with the words "Trick Or Treat" painted on it in glittery purple paint in a cute, swirling font. "Ma was gonna bring it, herself, but she had to get to work." She informed her brother, laying the bag their mother made for Mayla on the kitchen table.

"You know Ian's gonna take a shit ton of pictures for her." Mickey chuckled, walking over to look at the bag. "Looks good."

"She said she had a blast makin' it." Mandy said softly. Both siblings knew their mother had always wanted them to be able to celebrate holidays-something Terry thought was unnecessary-and was excited that she got to be involved with her granddaughter celebrating holidays.

"Okay, the Princess is ready!" Ian declared as he walked out of Mayla's bedroom with her holding his hand, giggling and playing with her Snow White dress. Mickey was still-after almost two years as this little girl's parent-amazed by how beautiful and happy she was at all times. "Say hi to Aunty Mandy, May."

"Hi!" Mayla chirped in a sweet little giggle. "Mama!" Mayla screeched, releasing Ian's hand to take a running start towards Mickey.

"Hey, my sweet girl." Mickey cooed to his daughter as she reached him, scooping the beautiful girl into his arms, turning her so she could look at her trick-or-treat bag. "Do you like the bag Grandma Katie made you, sweet girl?"

"Pitty." Mayla said, brushing her fingers over the glittery purple paint.

"Yes it is, May." Mandy agreed, brushing a dark curl away from Mayla's bright green eyes. "You guys ever gonna cut her hair?" Mandy directed the question to Ian since Mickey was busying himself by trying to get the red headband on Mayla's head.

"Not just yet." Ian honestly hated the idea of cutting Mayla's hair; he thought her messy curls first thing in the morning was the sweetest thing, and feeling them against his chin when she wanted to snuggle deep into his chest before she was completely awake always made him smile. He was well aware she might dislike having long hair when she gets older-or might not identify as female, at all-but for the time being, the idea of removing any of that baby soft hair made Ian's fucking chest hurt.

"Ma didn't cut your hair until you turned three." Mickey informed his sister while making silly faces at Mayla, who was sat on the table top. "Not like it's gettin' in her way, yet."

"Mama!" Mayla grabbed both of Mickey's cheeks and planted a sloppy, slobbery kiss on his nose.

"Gross, May." Mickey laughed, wiping spit off his nose. He had gotten over trying to tell Mayla not to call him Mama, but he would still rolls his eyes from time-to-time to save face; no way in hell would he let his sister or the Gallaghers know he loves it.

"Me goss!" Mayla laughed, clapping her hands in pure joy. "Dada! Me goss!"

"Daddy's princess is  _not_ gross; she is perfect!" Ian gasped, plucking Mayla up and peppering her face with kisses. "We gonna go get some candy?"

"Canny? Mama, canny?" Mayla asked, turning to look at her other parent. Even at under two years old, Mayla knew that, if one of her parents was going to tell her "no", it was Mickey.

"Yeah, baby; we're gonna go get you some candy!" Mickey exclaimed in mock excitement-he was always nervous about what Mayla might hear when he and Ian took her out, somewhere-as he allowed Mayla to high five him. "You gonna give Aunty Mandy some kisses, sweet girl?"

"Manny, tiss?" Mayla puckered her lips as she looked around Mickey at her aunt.

"Always want kisses from my pretty girl." Mandy cooed, stealing the baby from Ian's arms and accepting the kiss from Mayla as Ian snapped a quick picture for his facebook.

_**Ian Gallagher:** Mayla's ready to go trick-or-treating, and giving her Aunty Mandy some love.  **With-Mickey Gallagher** and  **Amanda "Mandy" Milkovich**_

"Looks like she could be Mandy's kid, man." Mickey commented, looking down at the picture on Ian's phone.

"Well, yeah; she looks more like a Milkovich than a Gallagher, baby." Ian replied, watching Mandy interact with their daughter. "She's good with her."

"Mandy always wanted a big happy fuckin' family." Mickey said, a sad, far away look in his eyes.

"She's got one, now; both of you do." Mickey knew Ian was right; the Gallagher's readily accepted Mickey, Mandy, Iggy, and Katia into their fold without thinking twice about it.

"Okay, I better go; Lip's gonna be home, soon. But first," Mandy passed Mayla back to Ian and ushered Mickey closer to his family. "He wanted a picture." Mandy snapped a photo of her brother, Brother-in-law, and niece, all smiling brightly-Mickey dressed as a vampire, Ian dressed as a werewolf, and Mayla in her Snow White costume-to show her boyfriend when she returned to their little apartment.

 

"What do we say when we get our candy?" Mickey asked his daughter as they walked up the street with Mayla clutching Mickey's hand as Ian pushed her stroller, knowing very well that Mayla would get tired of walking after awhile.

"Tank eww!" Mayla chirped, watching her feet as she walked.

"Very good, princess." Ian praised, watching his daughter walk along happily at his husband's side. Mayla was such a well behaved child, Ian was completely amazed that she was actually theirs; she listened to them, never screamed or cried, and always said please and thank you-even if she still hadn't perfected it, despite this being the second halloween where she could talk-without being told. Ian knew they always reminded her, but she never needed it.

"Okay, sweet girl, Aunty Fi's house, first." Mickey said, leading his daughter up the walkway to the Gallagher house. Fiona decided to actually pass out candy as an excuse to see Mayla trick-or-treating. "You wanna knock?"

"Yeah." Mayla agreed, raising her little fist to knock on the front door.

"What a pretty princess!" Fiona gushed as she opened the door-clearly having seen them walking up, because Mayla's knock was in no way audible-in a pair of cat ears with whiskers drawn on her cheeks.

"Tick a tee, pees!" Mayla said, holding her bag up for Fiona.

"Aunty Fi got you special candy, princess." Fiona said, kneeling down to place a bag of Welch's Gummy snacks-Mayla's absolute favorite snack-in the bag.

"Tank eww, FiFi!" Mayla exclaimed, clearly excited to see her favorite snack in her bag. "Lub eww!" Mayla moved to hug Fiona's neck.

"Love you, too, May." Fiona replied, kissing Mayla's cheek. "She looks so damn cute."

"Thanks, but Ian picked it out." Mickey said, hugging his sister-in-law when she extended her arms as Ian walked onto the porch.

"What'd you get, princess?" Ian asked his daughter as she danced around on the porch.

"Ummy!" Mayla screeched, plucking her candy out of her bag to show Ian.

"Wow! That's great!" Ian exclaimed, smiling at the toddler. "Make a pretty cat, Fi."

"Well thank you, wolfman." Fiona laughed, hugging her brother. "Didn't think she'd be that happy."

"Only candy she ever wants." Ian chuckled. "May, picture time!" Mayla ran to Fiona, hugging around her neck when Fiona kneeled again, and smiled at Ian for him to take a picture.

_**Ian Gallagher:** Snow White and Cat Woman love each other. Go figure.  **With-Fiona Gallagher** and  **Mickey Gallagher**_

"You ready to go to Kev and Vee's?" Mickey asked Mayla, extending his hand towards the girl.

"Ke me canny?" Mayla asked, taking Mickey's hand without hesitation.

"Kev'll give you candy, sweet girl." Mickey assured his daughter. The family made the short walk to Kev and Vee's house where Kev was sitting on the porch-dressed as fucking Winnie the Pooh-with a bowl of candy at his side.

"Ke!" Mayla shouted, waving at the fucking tree of a man.

"Our princess has arrived!" Kev boisterously exclaimed, causing Vee-dressed in a less sexy than Mickey would have expected Red Riding hood costume-to run out of the house.

"Bee!" Mayla gasped, smiling at Vee as she climbed the steps.

"Look at you, baby girl; such a pretty little princess." Vee complimented, kneeling to get a better look at Mayla. Mayla gave her surrogate Aunt a tight hug, loving all the attention she was getting, tonight.

"Ke, tick a tee, pees!" Mayla held her bag up, giving Kev her best Ian smile.

"Here we go, Princess May!" Kev laughed, placing a packet of gushers-another snack Mayla loved-in her bag. Mickey was glad their family-because Kev and Vee were fucking family-knew Mickey and Ian didn't really give Mayla other forms of candy, just yet.

"Tank eww, Ke." Mayla said, crawling into Kev's lap and hugging him.

"Welcome, pretty princess." Kev replied, hugging her back.

"The hell is he dressed like that?" Ian asked with a chuckle, sneaking a quick picture of Mayla and Kev.

"Hey, we're tryin' to be kid-friendly!" Vee scoffed, slapping Ian's arm lightly.

"It's cute." Ian agreed, watching Ian help Mayla climb down. "See you guys tomorrow for dinner?" Ian asked, kissing Vee on the cheek.

"Always, handsome." Vee promised, dropping a quick peck on Mickey's cheek as Kev hugged both boys. "Have fun, May!"

"Bye bye!" Mayla called back, waving her little hand as she started walking with her parents, again.

 

"Think she stayed awake longer, last year." Ian whispered to his husband as they walked back into their apartment, Mickey carrying Mayla and Ian carrying the folded stroller.

"We carried her, last year." Mickey reminded Ian, walking into Mayla's room to changer her diaper and get her into her pajamas. "Still got a shit ton of candy, though." Mayla had only managed to walk for about twenty minutes, and fell asleep after forty, but the little girl still had a blast when she'd been awake.

"Five bucks says you eat most of it." Ian laughed, dodging Mayla's costume when Mickey chucked it at his head. "Not my fault you'd rather eat candy than actual food."

"Asshole." Mickey chuckled, lifting their sleeping daughter off the changing table and laying her in her crib with the dinosaur lovey Carl got her pressed into her palm.

"Ready to get some sleep?" Ian asked, knowing Mickey was just as tired as their daughter after working all day and going trick-or-treating with Mayla.

"Yeah, after I get this shit off my face." Mickey gestured to the fake blood on his chin. "Next year, we ain't dressin' up."

"You love it." Ian chuckled, wrapping his arm around Mickey and leading him out of the nursery. Sure, taking off the werewolf and vampire makeup was going to be a pain in the ass, but both men loved getting to do little things like this with their daughter, and she would only be this young for a short amount of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy halloween, beauties! Leave me some comments to let me know what you think of this chapter. Much love!


	6. Twists And turns Of Fate

Debbie's birthday meant Mickey had to go to the fucking mall to pick up the silver locket he and Ian had engraved at a jewelry store for the young girl. Mickey loved his sister-in-law, but he fucking hated having to go to the mall. "You ready to get outta here, pretty girl?" Mickey asked his daughter as he pushed her stroller through the crowded mall.

"Yeah." Mayla yawned, laying her head on her stuffed elephant. Mickey felt bad that it took longer for the clerk at the jewelry store to find Debbie's necklace than he'd intended and Mayla was late for her nap.

"You sleepy, baby girl?" Mickey asked the dosing toddler.

"Yeah." Mayla barely managed to get out through her yawn. Mickey chuckled as he walked through a department store where some teenage girl was dousing herself with some vanilla scented perfume and creating a thick cloud Mickey had to walk through to get out the doors closest to where his truck was parked.

"Excuse me, does this smell alright?" Another, much calmer girl asked Mickey shyly, clearly nervous to ask for an opinion.

"Kinda smells like cupcakes or somethin' like that." Mickey commented, earning a soft laugh from the girl who might have been a year or two younger than Mickey. Mickey snapped his attention back to Mayla when he heard his daughter coughing and gasping for air. "May!" He snatched his daughter up, patting her back and trying to help her get her breath back.

"Does she have asthma?" The girl at Mickey's side asked, but Mickey shook his head because-as far as he knew-his daughter didn't have asthma. The girl started digging through her purse, coming up with an inhaler and her cellphone. "Try this." She told Mickey offering him the inhaler as she dialed 911.

"Deep breath, baby." Mickey instructed through tears. Mayla's breath stuttered for a moment before she started breathing normally, again. "Thank you."

"My little brother has asthma." She informed Mickey, ushering him to a bench with Mayla in his arms. "I'm sorry about Christa; she always over does it... I'm Deanna."

"Mickey." Mickey rasped, bouncing Mayla on his knee as she snuggled into his chest. "This is Mayla."

"She's beautiful." Deanna commented. "An ambulance is on the way... The hospital can tell you if she's asthmatic or if she just couldn't handle the cloud of perfume." Mickey nodded in understanding and kissed Mayla's sweaty forehead.

 

"Mayla Gallagher!" Ian panted as he reached the nurse's station at Mercy. "She came in on an ambulance."

"Room 112, sweetie." A nurse gently told Ian, seeing how distressed the redhead was. Ian nodded in gratitude before rushing off to his husband and daughter's side.

 

"She asleep?" Ian asked in a whisper when he entered the room, seeing Mickey sitting on the hospital bed with Mayla curled up against his chest.

"Yeah." Mickey replied, clearly upset. "Girl at the mall pretty much fuckin' saved her; had an inhaler in her purse and it got her breathin' right."

"Glad she was there, then." Ian said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "How are you doin'? I can't imagine that shit."

"Felt fuckin' helpless; my baby couldn't breathe, and I had no fuckin' idea what to do." Mickey looked down at Mayla as he tried not to cry. "Doctor's ran one test on her and said we might need a few more to know if she's got asthma." Ian could see Mickey was worried, but he knew they wouldn't let anything happen to Mayla, so he just moved to sit next to his family and wait for a doctor.

 

By the time the Gallagher family left the hospital they had learned Mayla did in fact have asthma and were given a list of different triggers to help prevent attacks. Of course, there was always the chance that it could happen, anyway, but Mickey and Ian were going to do anything in their power to keep their little girl healthy. "It's late. You wanna pick the truck up tomorrow?" Ian asked as Mickey strapped a sleeping Mayla into her car seat.

"Yeah. Just wanna get home and get some damn sleep." Mickey yawned, exhaustion seeping into his bones as he climbed into Ian's SUV with him. "Is this our fault?"

"Baby, we couldn't do anything to prevent her from developing asthma; shit like this just happens." Ian soothed, reaching over to lace his fingers with Mickey's as he drove. "The doctor told us she was in perfect health other than this; perfect weight, perfect eyesight, her hearing is great, and he couldn't believe how well she's talking when she's not even two." Ian reminded his husband, just wanting the man to stop believing he had somehow caused Mayla's medical condition.

"She's so smart." Mickey muttered, glancing back at the sleeping child. "How the hell is our kid so smart, man?"

"She's just like her Mama; brilliant, funny, loving, and beautiful. I got fuckin' lucky that my man and my baby girl are both so amazing." Ian was honestly amazed some days that Mickey and Mayla were so perfect, and that they were his family. He would never trade the two gorgeous brunettes for anything in the fucking world.

"Shut the Hell up." Mickey chuckled, watching the streets of Chicago zoom by outside the windows. He was concerned about his daughter, but he would memorize that fucking list and do absolutely everything he could to prevent his daughter from experiencing what she had earlier today and would never leave home without the girl's inhaler. And Mickey knew that Ian would do the same, because the two men love their daughter enough to do anything for her.


	7. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Mickey hated to admit it, but he actually loved doing all of that cliché Christmas shit with Ian and Mayla; decorating the tree, playing annoying fucking songs about Santa Claus, and-the one that possibly surprised Mickey the most-dressing Mayla in cute little fucking dresses and taking her to have her picture taken with a fucking Mall Santa! This year, Fiona, Debbie, Katia, and Mandy had dragged Mickey and Mayla to the mall in late November to find "the perfect outfit for the princess", and-though Mickey fucking  _hated_ being in the same mall Mayla had her first asthma attack in less than a month later-he had to admit now that he was dressing his daughter to go to a mall the next town over-he still hated that place, sue him-she looked beautiful. Mayla was dressed in a cream cable knit sweater dress-something Katia had to repeatedly remind Mickey the name of-a pair a red, black, and white plaid fleece leggings with a matching scarf, grey side buckle boots-that Mickey had chosen himself, because they looked badass-a wool peacoat, and wool cap in the same shade of charcoal grey as her boots. "You look beautiful, sweet girl." Mickey told his daughter as he quickly fixed the scarf around her neck.

"Tank eww, Mama." Mayla chirped, clapping her chubby little hands. Mickey was a little sad that his girl would be two in just under a month, but she was already so smart for as young as she was, he couldn't wait to see how much more she'd learn in her life. "Daddy!" Mayla exclaimed, running up to Ian as he entered the apartment after running to the bank to withdraw cash from the bank for their pictures of Mayla with Santa. "Daddy, look!"

"I see, you look beautiful, princess!" Ian gushed, picking Mayla up easily. "You excited to go see Santa?"

"Yes!" Mayla exclaimed, patting Ian's cheek warmly.

"Let's go then!" Ian cheered, glancing at a smiling Mickey out of the corner of his eye. He would never get over the beauty that was a happy, content Mickey.

 

"Tanta! Daddy, Tanta!" Mayla couldn't contain her excitement as the family stood in line behind other excited children, chattering and laughing as they waited to go up to the-pretty fucking believable-mall Santa sitting in a red sleigh.

"Daddy sees Santa, Princess. What're you askin' Santa for?" Ian and Mickey always tried to make conversation with Mayla, mainly due to the fact that both men hated baby talk; thought it was belittling to another human being.

"Cayons." Mayla said, twisting and turning to make the skirt of her dress move. Mickey loved that he and Ian didn't have a spoiled child who wanted a shit ton of toys for Christmas, because it would break his fucking heart not to be able to give her what she wanted. "An' kitty."

"That all you want?" Mickey asked, lifting his hand that was clutching Mayla's at the same time Ian did to momentarily lift the girl off the ground. They had slowly started buying her Christmas gifts in late August-buying one or two things a week-and had already gotten her a stuffed cat-the girl fucking loved stuffed animals-and several different types of crayons.

"Yes, cayons an' kitty." Mayla said with a nod as the man in front of them-who must have been in his mid-forties-turned around to look at Ian, Mickey, and Mayla.

"Babysitting the baby sister?" He guessed, clearly having missed Mayla calling Ian "Daddy."

"No, she's ours." Mickey replied in way of a challenge; he knew what being a parent meant a person would do for their children-he'd changed his entire life for Mayla-and knew that no decent parent would spout out a bunch of rude, horrible shit in front of their child.

"Both of yours?" The man asked with a snarl.

"Yeah?" Ian replied, moving in front of his daughter, seeing that this fat fuck clearly had a problem with him and Mickey being together.

"Why the hell would you flaunt that shit in front of your child?" He asked, loud enough to draw his wife-who looked quite a bit younger-and son's attention.

"Wayne-" His wife gasped, covering the little boy at her side's ears. 'I'm so sorry!' She mouthed to Ian and Mickey when Wayne cut her off.

"Jane, this is an abomination!" Wayne yelled, causing two "elves" to walk over. "You fuckin' fags are makin' that poor girl think your sins are alright! People like you disgust me!"

"Sir, please step out of line." A male "Elf" who stood about three inches taller than Ian's six foot frame and was much broader instructed. "We're very sorry, gentlemen." The man said as the female "elf" lead Wayne-still shouting and arguing even as a security guard grabbed his arm-to the mall exit. "My boyfriend and I just had our first, so I get it." The Elf said, kneeling down, flashing Mayla a smile and handing her and the little boy each a candy cane from the red velvet bag in his hand.

"Tank eww." Mayla mumbled, clearly a little upset by the man's screaming.

"Thank you, mister elf." The boy-who couldn't be older than four-said, turning to his mother and silently asking her to open his candy.

"You two are very welcome. Santa can't wait to meet you." The man said, waving a medium complected hand, pushing a dark curl behind his fake pointed ear as he walked away.

"I am so sorry about Wayne!" Jane rushed out, her flushed cheeks contrasting against her honey blonde hair. "Your daughter is gorgeous, and you seem to be wonderful parents; he had no right to say those horrid things to you."

"Thank you, and you can't help what he says." Ian said, watching Mickey as his eyes darted to the door. "May, you want Mama to hold you?" He knew holding Mayla would help calm Mickey's nerves.

"Pees, Mama?" Mayla asked, holding her small arms up.

"Come 'ere, sweet girl." Mickey sighed, taking his daughter into his arms and holding her to his chest as she sucked on her candy cane. "You got diaper wipes, babe? She's gonna be a mess after this."

"I have some in my purse if you don't; Andy here can make a mess when he's just sitting in a chair with nothing around him." Jane offered, ruffling Andy's blond hair lovingly.

"Thanks, ma'am." Mickey replied. His mother taught him to respect women, and Jane couldn't help her husband being an asshole.

 

"Ready to meet Santa, sweet girl?" Mickey asked, shifting Mayla on his hip.

"Yes." Mayla said with a smile, taking Mickey's hand as they walked to the sleigh and Ian walked over to the photographer for a moment before returning to Mickey's side.

"Ho ho ho! And what is your name, sweetheart?" The Mall Santa asked, leaning down to help Mayla climb into the sleigh with him. He really did look the part; the beard and hair were real and-clearly-naturally white based on the white eyebrows he sported, his cheeks were rosey, his nose round and pudgy, and his fat stomach was obviously real, as well. The smell of peppermint radiated off of him, and the cup off to the side was filled with hot chocolate. Ian loved how invested he was in his character.

"May-la." Mayla enunciated slowly as she looked up at Santa in awe and her parents stepped back enough that they were not in the frame of the camera.

"And what do you want for Christmas, little Mayla?" Santa asked Mayla sweetly.

"Cayons, pees?" Mayla asked, flashing an adorable puppy-dog look that could put Ian to shame.

"Crayons? Well, I think we can get crayons for you, Mayla." Santa replied, smiling down at the happily grinning toddler as the camera snapped. "Now, would you like to go back to your Daddy?" Even out of the corner of his eye, the mall Santa seemed to see that Ian was itching to fetch his daughter.

"Yes." Mayla said, hopping down from Santa's lap and running to Ian. "Tanta, Daddy! Tanta, Mama!"

"We saw that, sweet girl." Mickey said with an endearing expression, ushering Ian and Mayla over to the photographer to pick up their pictures.

"She's adorable and a natural on camera; you should really look into child modeling." The photographer complimented as he passed Mickey-who actually had a free hand-the ten pictures Ian had ordered as Mickey took Mayla to Santa.

"Thank you." Mickey replied, knowing he and Ian would never force their daughter into something like child modeling; something she might hate later in life.

 

"She really does look fuckin' adorable." Ian commented later that night as he and Mickey looked at the photo they kept for themselves of their daughter-sporting her perfect, dimple smile, her green eyes shining and her tiny hands hold on to one of "Santa's"-sitting in the red sleigh with a Santa-fully decked out in his red suit, boots, and hat-against a snowy backdrop.

"She always does." Mickey replied, completely captivated by how happy his daughter was. "God, I wanted to beat the shit outta that asshole."

"I know, baby, but I'm proud of you for not doin' it." Ian praised, setting the picture aside and swiftly kissing Mickey. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Mickey replied, laying down and snuggling into Ian's side as he did the same. Having a child changed Mickey, but he felt better about his life choices than he could explain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me some comments, beauties! Much Love!


	8. Happy Birthday, Princess

Waking up on Mayla's second birthday was bittersweet for Ian; on one hand, his baby girl was  _here,_ and he got to watch her grow and learn a little more every day, even if it was a little sad that two years with her had already zoomed by. But, on the other hand, two years had already zoomed by. "Two years." Mickey sighed, rolling over to face Ian, who was already wide awake and staring at Mayla as she slept on the redhead's chest.

"She's gonna need a hair cut at some point." Ian mused, curling a strand of Mayla's dark hair around a single, pale, freckled finger.

"Nah, she's fine, for now." Mickey whispered, smiling to himself when Mayla pressed her face into Ian's neck. "She's such a fuckin' Daddy's girl."

"She's my fuckin' world." Ian replied, still playing with Mayla's curls.

"Thanks, asshole." Mickey shot back sarcastically, his reward for that being a deep, throaty laugh from the handsome man laying beside him.

"She's my world, but you? So much more, Mick." Ian said, turning his head to stare straight into the endless blue eyes of the man who was-truly-so much more than his world; he was everything keeping Ian sane in a world that wanted the exact opposite, and everything good that could possible come from their neighborhood. Mickey was brute strength and a cunning mind, but also soft hands and a warm smile. He was beautiful eyes and adorable dimples, but he had a body that was pure sin; Mickey was so many things that shouldn't work, yet he was perfect in every way Ian could possibly formulate.

"Fuckin' sap." Mickey would never say out loud how much he loved-fucking craved-Ian's loving words after growing up around Terry; the scars he'd left behind would fade with time, but his words would forever stick with Mickey. "Kid should be up any second."

"Hopefully she doesn't fall asleep during her party, this year." Ian replied, cringing slightly at the memory of Mayla being woken up by Fiona and Vee taking pictures of her as she slept during her first birthday party.

"You know she's gonna sleep at some point during it." Mickey reasoned, knowing their daughter loved her naps. "Might as well just get used to her stubborn ass sleepin' through her own parties."

 

"Happy birthday, Princess!" Fiona cheered as she entered the apartment followed by Lip, Carl, Debbie, Liam, Katia, Iggy, and Frank. Mayla smiled politely at her family from her spot on the couch as Mickey tied her pink floral Adidas sneakers on her feet. "She looks so fuckin' cute!" Fiona gushed, snapping a quick photo of Mayla as Ian tied her hair back in a messy bun. The little girl really did look adorable; she was dressed in a pink Adidas hoodie with Adidas written in white font and a pair of grey Adidas sweatpants-"They're fuckin' yoga pants, Mickey!" as Mandy kept reminding him-with three stripes in varying shades of pink on the left leg and Adidas written in white font. Mayla looked so fucking precious, and Mickey couldn't help finding her little athletic wear cute as all Hell.

"Thank you." Mayla said, reaching down to play with Mickey's hair. "Mama, you pretty."

"Thank you, sweet girl." Mickey sighed as he stood up, helping Mayla up so she could greet her family.

"Happy birthday, Princess Mayla." Lip cooed, swooping Mayla up, kissing her nose, and passing her to Carl.

"There's my girl." Carl sighed, hugging Mayla close to his chest. "Happy birthday, May."

"Thank you, CarCar." Mayla replied, pecking Carl on the cheek before being passed to Debbie. Ian and Mickey watched quietly as their daughter was passed from family member to family member, all kissing and wishing the toddler happy birthday.

 

Two pizzas, twenty-four of Debbie's Peanut butter cupcakes, one god-awful rendition of "Happy Birthday", two baby dolls from Katia and Iggy, a stuffed cat from Frank, a Lego set from Carl, a singing teddy bear from Kev and Vee, Unicorn slippers from Mandy-who had to work-and Lip, Minnie Mouse pajamas from Debbie, a Unicorn PillowPet from Fiona, and the unicorn projector nightlight she wanted from her parents later, the party guests were gone and Mickey and Ian were putting their daughter to bed for the night.

"She got so much Shit." Mickey sighed, flinging himself onto the bed he shared with his husband.

"She's worth it. Get some sleep; she's gonna wake up early to play with her new toys, tomorrow." Ian yawned, curling up against his husband's side. Mickey knew Ian was right; Mayla was worth all of the shit people had bought her for her birthday.


	9. Valentine's Day

"Ian... Do we really have to go out for Valentine's Day? It's just another fuckin' day; we could just stay home with May." Mickey tried-for what felt like the hundredth time that night-as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror fixing his hair.

"We can't stay home with her every night for the rest of our lives, baby." Ian argued, carrying Mayla-dressed in her favorite fleece, two piece pink pajamas with colorfully decorated donuts printed on them, along with her fluffy unicorn slippers-in his arms. "May, tell Mama to go out and have fun with Daddy so you can have a slumber party with Auntie Fi."

"Aunny Fi color?" Mayla asked, looking between Mickey and Ian.

"Yeah, princess, Auntie Fi will color with you." Ian promised, tapping Mayla's nose lightly.

"Bye Mama, Bye, Daddy! Love you!" Mayla stated as her last words on the matter.

 

"She's fine, Mick." Ian sighed, watching his husband as they sat at dinner, knowing the other man's mind was on their daughter. "Fiona's babysat for us a hundred times."

"We haven't left her except for work since..." Mickey still fucking cringed when he thought back to Mayla's first-and thankfully only, so far-asthma attack three months earlier.

"She's fine, Mickey; Fiona knows asthma triggers to avoid, has one of her inhalers, and she has both of our numbers so she can call us if something happens." Ian said, reaching over to squeeze Mickey's hand. "Call Fiona; we both know you won't calm down until you do." Mickey didn't think twice before going to Fiona's number and starting the call.

 _"Tell Mama hi, May!"_ Fiona said when she answered the phone with Mayla's little giggles in the background.

 _"Hi, Mama!"_ Mayla laughed, bringing a smile to Mickey's face.

"Hi, sweet girl. You havin' fun with Auntie Fi?" Mickey asked, though the answer was clear based on the two-year-old girl's laughter.

 _"Yes! We color, and, and we watch My yittle Pony!"_ Mayla happily explained, clearly enjoying her time with her aunt.

"Wow, sounds like you guys are havin' a good time, baby!" Mickey exclaimed, making Ian smile at him from across the table. "Me and Daddy just wanted to tell you goodnight. I love you, baby girl." 

 _"Love you, Mama! I talk to Daddy, too?"_ Mickey chuckled at his daughter's words and passed his phone to Ian, who already knew Mayla was-without a doubt-asking to talk to her Daddy.

"Hey, Princess. You bein' good for Auntie Fi?" Ian asked, trying not to let on that he was missing Mayla just as much as Mickey.

 _"Yes, Daddy."_ Mayla said, obviously fighting a laughing fit.  _"Night night, Daddy! I love you!"_

"Night, Princess. Daddy love you, too." Ian said, passing the phone back to Mickey once Mayla had hung up. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah. Sorry I'm crazy; just don't like leavin' her." Mickey admitted, feeling stupid for worrying so much when he knew he could trust Fiona with Mayla.

"I get it, baby-I really do-but sometimes I wanna be alone with my husband, whom I love very much." Ian said, making Mickey snort as he took a sip of water. "Can't help it; I love my beautiful husband."

"Love you, too, asshole." Mickey chuckled, turning his hand over to squeeze Ian's back. "God, two years changes a lot, huh?"

"Technically three; only about two months before you got pregnant." Ian reminded Mickey. "You remember the first Valentine's day we had together?"

"Spent the whole night locked in my room with a bag of weed, two kinds of Doritos, and a six pack." Mickey said with a smile, though he remembered that night for another-much sadder-reason, as well; that was the night he'd lost his virginity and conceived the child he'd lost less than two months later.

"Admittedly not the most romantic date, but it was all I could think of at thirteen." Ian said with a soft chuckle. "Feels like we've grown up a lot since then."

"We have; got married, had a baby, started good jobs... We're completely different than we were that first Valentine's day." Mickey replied, looking down at their interlocked hands. "Shit, we're gettin' old."

"You are," Ian jokingly retorted. "I'm not even nineteen, yet."

"And now I sound like a fuckin' pedophile. Thanks, Ian." Mickey grumbled, looking down at the menu. "Fuckin' dork's a year younger than me."

"What was that, dear?" Ian asked, feigning innocent in the most infuriatingly fucking cute way Mickey had ever heard.

"Said I want some damn steak, honey." Mickey replied, trying to mimic Ian, though-based on the redhead's uproarious laughter-he'd failed terribly.

 

"She went to her bed for about twenty minutes, then she decided she wanted to sleep in your bed. Sorry, guys." Fiona apologized when Ian and Mickey returned home, clearly thinking Mayla being in their bed would ruin their night.

"It's fine. Thanks, Fi." Mickey said, allowing the eldest Gallagher to hug him.

"Not a problem; we had a good time." Fiona responded honestly, moving to hug Ian. "Hope you guys had fun."

"We did. Love you, Fi." Ian said, kissing his sister's cheek before darting into the bedroom to see his baby girl.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say he missed May more than you." Fiona laughed, shaking her head fondly at the two loving-yet admittedly a little over protective-young parents.

"He's just better at not sayin' he misses her than I am." Mickey replied with a smirk. "Thanks again for watchin' her."

"Didn't have a date and Liam spent the night at a friend's house, so it wasn't like I had any other plans for tonight." Fiona replied with a shrug. "Besides, why wouldn't I wanna spend some time with the princess?" Mickey had to nod in agreement with Fiona's words; his daughter was the most perfect child he'd ever seen, and he was fucking proud of that beautiful little angel he and Ian were raising. "Night, Mick. Love you guys!" Fiona said as she kissed Mickey's blushing cheek.

"Love you." Mickey replied, watching his sister-in-law exit the apartment before rushing to his bedroom to be with Mayla-who he could hear giggling-and Ian. "What're you two doin'?" Mickey asked, smiling at Ian-now dressed in a plain black t-shirt and a pair of blue and green plaid flannel pajama pants-and Mayla, who was sitting up, curled into his husband's side.

"Baby girl woke up and wanted to cuddle with her Daddy. Didn't you, princess?" Ian asked, looking down at the happy little girl curled into his side.

"Yes!" Mayla giggled, crawling into Ian's lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Go change and then come cuddle with us, baby." Ian instructed, fiddling with the twin braids Fiona had put in Mayla's long black hair. Mickey complied, ready to spend the rest of the night the way he'd wanted to spend the whole day; surrounded by the two people he loved the most in this world.


	10. Sick Day

"No, Mama." Mayla whined pathetically as Mickey tried to get her into the bathtub in an attempt to lower the girl's fever. Though he'd been a sickly baby, he didn't get sick often once he turned one and felt a little distressed by not knowing what he could do to make his daughter feel better. "Hurts." Mayla whimpered, pressing her face into his shoulder as Mickey finally got her into the tub.

"Mama knows, sweet girl." Mickey cooed, dripping water down the little girl's back. The poor girl just whimpered and coughed the whole time Mickey washed her and tried to cool her little body down, keeping both hands firmly clasped on Mickey's arm. "My poor baby." Mickey murmured, leaning over to press a kiss to his baby's forehead. All Mickey wanted was to make Mayla feel better, but he had no idea how, which left him using any and all tips Fiona and his mother had given him, just praying  _something_ would help.

"Up we go." Mickey said in the softest voice he could muster, scooping Mayla out of the tub and helping her dress in just a pull-up-no way is he risking the crying fit if she ruined a pair of her underwear-a pair of black cotton shorts, and a purple Hello Kitty tank top so she would be comfortable. "Let's go see if you can eat something and watch Fairly Odd Parents, okay?" Mayla nodded and clung to Mickey, silently pleading to be held. Mickey obliged, allowing his daughter to find a little bit of comfort in his arms.

 

"Hey." Ian quietly greeted as he walked into the family's apartment with two shopping bags in his arms. "I stopped on my way home to get May some stuff she might be able to eat, some ginger ale-I know we never give her anything like that, but it's supposed to help with an upset stomach-pediasure in case she just can't eat, and this stuffed animal heating pad/ice pack thing Fiona suggested; she said Liam loves his and holds it on his stomach any time he gets sick." Ian said as he sat the bags on the counter, turning his head to peck Mickey on the lips when he walked into the kitchen to help him put stuff away.

"She got some crackers and a little Gatorade down a few hours ago; gave her some more medicine and she fell asleep on the couch." Mickey informed his husband, smirking at the little blue teddy bear. "Thank you for not gettin' fuckin' pink."

"I have no damn idea why our family insists on only getting her pink shit; just 'cause she's a girl don't mean everything has to be pink." Ian laughed softly as he moved to the couch to check on the sick little girl. "She looks so much smaller when she's sick." he commented, touching her forehead lightly.

"Don't think she'll ever be very big." Mickey replied, taking up his post at the opposite end of the couch, again. "Earlier all I could think was "most people my age are just learnin' to take care of themselves when they're sick, and I'm sitting in my bathroom floor covered in my daughter's puke" and it dawned on me; we seriously had no fuckin' idea what we were getting ourselves into when she was born."

"Do you ever regret it?" Ian asked, pulling Mayla's blanket tighter around her.

"No; I wanted my baby as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I just wish I knew what to do when she gets sick." Mickey admitted, placing his hand on the small of Mayla's back. He had always loved Mayla and he always would, but he felt utterly useless when his baby girl was puking her fucking guts up and felt too weak to move.

"You got her to eat, kept her hydrated, sat with her all day so she wasn't scared, got her comfortable, and gave her the medicine she needed; you did as well as any parent could. Fuck, you got puked on and stayed calm for her. You are an amazing parent, and I am so fuckin' glad you're my baby girl's Mama, 'cause she couldn't have a better one." Ian said adamantly, finally looking back up at Mickey. "No parent knows what they're getting into, at first, baby; we learn as we go."

"Daddy?" Mayla mumbled as her eyes slowly opened, her little face beet red and her big green eyes glassy.

"Hi, Princess. How're you feelin'?" Ian asked, softly combing his fingers through her sweat-dampened hair.

"Bad. Want Mama." She whimpered, holding out her arms in a clear indication that she wanted Ian to take her to her Mama.

"Mama's right here, baby." Mickey said, slowly moving Mayla so she could sit in his lap with her head against his chest. "Don't wanna cuddle Daddy, right now?"

"No. Jus' want Mama." She said simply, curling herself further into Mickey. "I have more blue juice?" She asked, looking up at Mickey with pleading eyes. He was just glad she actually wanted something on her stomach.

"I'll go get you some, Princess." Ian offered, kissing her hair as he stood up and offering Mickey a proud smile as he walked towards their kitchen to fill Mayla's sippy cup with Gatorade. Mickey wrapped himself and Mayla up in her unicorn blanket, ready to offer his baby any comfort he could. He may not have been able to protect and care for his first child, but he would  _always_ be there to protect his little Mayla.

 

For as much as Mickey insisted Mayla was a Daddy's girl, she clung to Mickey the whole night, only going to Ian if Mickey needed to use the bathroom. Which lead to Ian walking into the bedroom he shared with his husband after his shower, finding Mickey asleep on his back with Mayla curled up on his chest, clutching his shirt for dear life as Mickey's arms draped protectively over their daughter's back. Ian took a quick picture, loving the sight of his babies asleep, together.

_**Ian Gallagher:** Baby girl is sick, so she needs her Mama more than ever. Clearly, he doesn't mind a bit. **-With Mickey Gallagher.**_


	11. Monster, How Should I Feel?

Mickey had always been a lighter sleeper than Ian; the redhead could sleep through a fucking bomb, but Mickey? He woke up every time the heat in their apartment kicked on. So it wasn't a surprise that Mickey was the first to wake up when a loud sob filled the family of three's small apartment. The brunette man carefully extracted himself from the octopus-like grip his husband had on him and made his way to Mayla's bedroom to see why his baby girl was awake at two in the morning and crying her eyes out.

"May? What's wrong, sweet girl?" Mickey softly asked as he entered the two-year-old's bedroom, finding her sitting up with her beloved stuffed elephant-clutched so tightly Mickey thought the toy's head would pop right off-in her arms and the covers kicked off her little toddler bed.

"M-mama!" Mayla practically shouted when she noticed Mickey standing at the foot of her bed, pouncing into his waiting arms and crying against his neck.

"Why's my girl cryin'?" Mickey asked, bouncing the girl in his arms.

"M-monsser." Mayla whimpered, pressing her face further into the crook of Mickey's neck.

"Where's the monster, baby girl?" Mickey asked, fetching the bottle of Febreeze Ian had put a "monster repellent" label on-both already fairly used to Mayla waking up from nightmares-and prepared to spray it at whatever "monster" Mayla had witnessed. Mayla pointed at the bed, indicating that Mayla had seen a "monster" under the bed. "Mama'll get rid of it, sweet girl." Mickey gently sat Mayla on the bed, crouches down, and sprays the lavender-scented mist under the girl's bed and flipped on the light so she can see that the "monster" has run away.

"See? No monster." Mickey said, letting his daughter hold his hand as she ensured he had actually gotten rid of her nighttime tormentor.

"Mama... I pee." Mayla quietly admitted, shifting from foot to foot in embarrassment. Mayla had been trying incredibly hard to convince her parents she no longer needed to sleep in a pull-up, but still had the occasional accident at night.

"It's okay, sweet girl." Mickey assured the toddler, kissing her chubby cheek. "Come on; we'll get you cleaned up and back to bed."

"I sleep with you an' Daddy?" Mayla asked, holding her arms over her head to silently ask Mickey to pick her up. Mickey would never tell his daughter she couldn't sleep in the bed with Ian and himself; he loved waking up to find Mayla cuddling up to Ian with her hand wrapped around his own fingers and the soft sound of her little snores filling his ears.

"Sure, baby girl." Mickey agreed, scooping his daughter up and carrying the small brunette girl out of her bedroom for the night.

 

Ian and Mickey hadn't had a full night's sleep in three weeks; Mayla had been having nightmares almost every night, and when she isn't having a nightmare, she's insistent that she sleep between her parents and kept kicking her tiny legs, which kept waking the two men up. The two men were used to Mayla having no trouble sleeping, and were in no way prepared for these past three weeks. "You look like shit, man." Lip deadpanned as he sat on the couch in Ian and Mickey's small apartment, looking Ian over when the redheaded man yawned for the tenth time in the last hour.

"May's been havin' a hard time sleepin' and it's taking it's toll on Me and Mickey." Ian murmured as he closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the couch, just happy Mayla was taking a nap so he could-hopefully-catch a few minutes of sleep while his daughter was out.

"Doesn't sound like May." Lip commented, a little surprised that Mayla wasn't sleeping right.

"Yeah, I know; she's been havin' a lot of nightmares." Ian yawned as he started getting more comfortable.

"Try lavender baths; Fiona gives Liam baths with lavender shit all the time and it helps him sleep." Lip offered, standing up and throwing a pink blanket-that clearly belonged to his niece-over his brother. "Call me and let me know if it works." Ian nodded, but Lip could tell he was already half asleep as he exited the apartment.

 

Mickey was surprised by how quiet the apartment he was when he got home; Mayla was almost always laughing and playing when he got home from work, yet she was silent. He was honestly hoping Ian hadn't let her sleep past her nap time considering she was having a hard enough time sleeping at night without her father allowing her to sleep all afternoon.

"Hey, Mick." Ian said quietly from where he was sitting on the couch with Mayla curled into his side.

"She's pretty calm." Mickey commented, feeling his daughter's forehead to ensure she wasn't fevered-she wasn't, thank God-only to realize Ian had turned on "Brave" and given the girl a sippy cup of milk. "Tryin' to get her to go to bed early?" Mickey asked his husband quietly.

"Lip and Ma gave me some advice on how to help her sleep." Ian replied, glancing down at Mayla before turning his head to kiss Mickey. "Gonna give her a bath with some lavender scented shit after dinner and put an analog clock next to her bed; Ma said the ticking helped you when you were May's age."

"Guess we can give it a shot. I got Marcellos for dinner." Mickey said, causing both Ian and Mayla to perk up at the mention of the family's favorite Italian restaurant. Mickey had to laugh at the two people he loved the most in this world tripping over themselves to get to their dinner.

 

Mayla fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit her pillow that night-after taking a bath in the light, soothing, floral scented bubbles-but Mickey wasn't sure if this would last; the girl hadn't managed to sleep through a full night in her own room in weeks, after all. He slowly walked to the bedroom he and Ian shared, wishing he could trust Mayla would stay in her own bed so he could actually get fucking laid, tonight. "She already asleep?" Ian asked, completely shocked that their daughter had already fallen asleep.

"Yeah; bath seemed to work." Mickey whispered, moving to kiss his husband before a yawn tore it's way out of his throat. He cursed his own fucking body for ruining the first chance they'd had in almost a month to have sex, but he was so fucking tired.

"Come on, let's get some sleep, baby." Mickey nodded in agreement when Ian said that, climbing into bed with his husband in hopes that he'd get to sleep through the night. He kept those thoughts in the back of his mind as he curled against Ian's side for the night, falling asleep to the sound of Ian's heartbeat.

 

When Mickey woke up, the sun was shining through the thin, white curtains in his bedroom and he could see Mayla climbing onto their bed and kissing Ian's nose. "Morning!" Mayla giggled, moving to kiss Mickey's cheek.

"Morning, sweet girl." Mickey rasped, pulling Mayla down to lay on Ian's chest with him.

"No nightmares, Princess?" Ian asked, wrapping his arm around their precious little girl.

"Nope!" Mayla chirped, smiling brightly at both parents.

"That's awesome, Princess!" Ian exclaimed, returning Mayla's smile as he checked her pull-up, giving the girl a high five when he noticed she was dry. Mickey just sat up and watched on fondly as Ian moved to a sitting position and allowed Mayla to cuddle up to him, clearly not completely awake just yet. Their household hadn't had an easy time the past few weeks, but it seemed like things were finally back to normal for the Gallaghers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly missed writing about Mickey, Ian, and Mayla, and I'm so glad to be past my recent writers block. Leave me some comments and let me know what you thought of this chapter! Much love!


	12. I Will Always Hold You Close

There were days that Ian wondered what his life would've been like had he not found Mickey's gun that fateful night; not because he wished he hadn't, but because he was deeply terrified of what could've happened to the man he loved and their sweet little Mayla. He would wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and watching Mickey sleep, just glad to see that the brunette was by his side. Other nights, however, he found himself wandering over to Mayla's bedroom and watching the girl from the doorway, just ensuring that she was still  _there._ He would never be proud of tbe fact that he'd killed someone-that he hadn't even hesitated to pull the trigger when he'd seen Terry Milkovich standing over Mickey-he'd never be able to regret saving his babies.

"Daddy?" Mayla called out, snapping his attention back to the toddler crawling onto the couch beside him, her wide, green eyes focused on her father.

"Yeah, Princess?" Ian replied, pushing her hair away from her freckled cheeks.

"You sad?" Mayla asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"No, baby girl, Daddy's not sad. Why?" Ian asked, wondering what Mayla was seeing on his face.

"You cry." Mayla said, softly, wiping a tear off Ian's cheek. Ian hadn't even realized he'd teared up while thinking about the fact that there had been a time he'd almost lost his family.

"Daddy's not sad, May; he just loves you a whole lot." It wasn't a lie; Ian loved this girl with every fiber of his being.

"No cry, Daddy! Love you!" Mayla nearly screamed, launching herself into Ian's arms and kissing his cheek.

"Daddy knows, baby." Ian mumbled, hugging her to his chest. He was having an emotional day, but he would just hold his girl a little closer.

 

"You okay?" Mickey asked Ian when he walked in from work, spotting Ian laying on the couch with Mayla on his chest fast asleep. Ian had this far off look in his eyes, and Mickey could tell he was feeling rather down.

"Just thinkin' about the shit with Terry." Ian whispered, smoothing his hand down Mayla's back. Mickey understood why Ian was upset, now; he had always felt a hint of guilt for having killed Terry, but it normally pushed it back when he remembered he'd saved two lives in the process.

"You don't need to feel any fuckin' guilt about that, baby; May wouldn't be here if you didn't do it." Mickey reminded his husband.

"I know... Just... Are we gonna be like that? Are we gonna be the parents who hate her for who she is?" Ian asked, hugging Mayla impossibly tighter.

"Babe, I don't think you could ever hate her for anything." Mickey responded, sitting down when Ian lifted his head, running his fingers through Ian's hair when the redhead laid his head in his lap. "You loved her from the fuckin' get go."

"Shit changes." Ian muttered.

"Terry never loved me, Ian." Mickey said, no longer feeling like he'd done something to make his father resent him.

"She's my baby... I don't want her to hate me." Ian said sadly.

"She loves her Daddy, Ian." Mickey said, smiling as Mayla snuggled herself closer to Ian. "May could never hate you."

"Couldn't hate her Mama, either." Ian whispered, eyes drifting closed as Mickey messaged his scalp. Sure, what he did would always haunt him, but Mickey's reassurance helped calm him and allowed him to enjoy a quiet moment with his husband and their daughter.


	13. Class Gaps

Due to their apartment being right on the boarder of the Northside Mickey and Ian decided to send Mayla to a Daycare center that actually had decent reviews and funding. They had been happy with the school and the friends she'd made, so far. Or, at least, they  _were_ happy about everything going into their daughter's education, until they had agreed to let one of her friends come over to their apartment to play. "Alright, we're here!" Ian happily exclaimed to the pair of two-and a half-year-old girls in the backseat of his car-one his beautiful dark haired, green eyed daughter, and the other a blonde girl with wide, hazel eyes named Taylee Reynolds-as he parked outside the apartment complex.

"This yous house?" Taylee asked, looking up at the large, red brick exterior of the complex.

"Part of it is." Ian replied with a nod as he helped both girls out of the car. The girl looked around the parking lot, tipping her head to the side in confusion when she noticed all the other cars.

"Yous gots a lots a cars!" Taylee exclaimed, completely shocked by all of the vehicles around her.

"No, silly! We gots Mama car and Daddy's car." Mayla giggled, taking Ian's hand as they entered the complex and made their way to the elevator.

"Who cars those?" Taylee asked, clearly confused.

"Our neighbors; we live in an apartment. It means other people live in here, too." Ian explained as he waited for the elevator to reach the sixth floor.

"Mommy says 'partments is for poor peoples." Taylee said, which grated on Ian's nerves, slightly; he understood that many of the children in Mayla's daycare center had money, but he and Mickey worked their asses off to provide for Mayla. He had a feeling that-by the end of the day-he'd need a fucking drink.

 

Ian's feelings were right; he needed a damn drink after taking Taylee Reynolds home. She had spent the whole day inadvertently insulting the Gallagher family and their home as she played; "mes room is bigger!" "why yous house so little?" "Why you no gots no money?" "Yous Mommy is dirty!" Ian knew she was only a child, but she had been a complete menace from the moment Ian had explained that the lived in an apartment.

"That kid was somethin' else, man." Mickey sighed as he dropped onto the couch beside Ian, passing him one of the beers Iggy had brought up to the apartment.

"Hurt May's feelings when she said her toys were boring." Ian replied, watching Mayla as she colored in the floor.

"Fuck her. Kid ain't comin' over, again; not lettin' some kid who just wants to insult May in our house." Mickey seethed, already going into what Lip referred to as "Mama bear mode" after seeing the sadness in his baby girl's eyes every time Taylee spoke.

"Not gonna argue with you." Ian said, smiling at Mayla as she examined her picture, furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to decide what crayon to use, next. "What're you coloring, May?" Ian asked the little girl, happily scribbling with a purple crayon.

"A kitty, Daddy!" Mayla chirped, holding up her coloring book for Ian to see the colorful cat drawing.

"It looks beautiful, Princess." Ian praised, glad that Mayla wasn't dwelling on the things her "friend" had said to her.

"Thank you." Mayla yawned, crawling into Ian's lap. "Why TayTay mean?"

"She didn't know better, baby; her Mommy and Daddy said it, so she thought it was right." Mickey explained, running his fingers through Mayla's hair as she cuddled into Ian's chest. He and Ian were upset that Taylee had said those things to Mayla-what parents wouldn't be-but they understood that she was only a child acting in a manner her parents had taught her was acceptable.

"She mean. Me don't wanna play with her, no more." Mayla decided, reaching out to take Mickey's hand.

"That's okay; you don't have to stay friends with someone if you don't want to." Ian said, knowing that Mayla was too kind to make a decision like this lightly.

"Mama say we gotta be nice." Mayla proclaimed, giving Mickey a sense of pride that he had helped teach his daughter to be a kind hearted person. "We be nice to make friends." Mayla decided.

"You're right, baby." Mickey whispered, kissing Mayla's forehead as the little girl fell asleep against Ian's chest, taking comfort from her parents.

 

"Me like yous house, May!" Lucy Christopher-another little girl from Mayla's Daycare center-exclaimed as she and Mayla built a Lego house in the living room floor. Mickey and Ian had met Lucy's parents, and liked how down-to-earth the family was, despite clearly having more money than the Gallaghers.

"Mama, can we eat Pizza?" Mayla asked, causing Lucy to gasp in excitement.

"I guess you like Pizza?" Ian asked, trying not to laugh at the girl's excitement.

"Yes! Me loves Pizza!" Lucy chirped, dancing around with Mayla. The parents watched as Mayla and her friend, glad that-despite a major class gap-Mayla had found a true friend. They were happy for their girl, and proud of the person she was growing into.


	14. This Feels Like Falling In Love

"Daddy?" Mayla yawned, crawling onto Mickey and Ian's bed one Sunday night after the Gallagher family's weekly family dinner.

"Yeah, Princess?" Ian muttered, pulling Mayla to lay on his chest.

"Tell me story?" Mayla requested, snuggling into her father's embrace.

"Whay story do you wanna hear, baby?" Ian asked, enjoying his time with his little girl. She was growing up so fast, and Ian was determined to hold onto the few moments he had of Mayla still being a baby. 

"You an' Mama." Mayla answered, closing her heavy eyes as she prepared to hear her bedtime story.

"Okay." Ian whispered, kissing Mayla's hair as the girl got comfortable.

 

_Ian was eight years old when he began to notice just how stunning Mickey Milkovich was. He had always known the other boy was beautiful, but he didn't realize the extent of his physical beauty until that point; he suddenly noticed how bright blue Mickey's eyes were, how wonderfully his pale skin contrasted with his pitch black hair and those gorgeous eyes, how perfectly defined his facial features were, and-most importantly-how he'd only show the people he truly loved those adorable dimples. He realized why he always gravitated towards Mickey, and why his heart would ache when anyone took the brunette boy's attention away from him; he was in love. Ian Gallagher was completely in love with Mickey Milkovich, and he didn't care if he was young; he'd be Mickey's boyfriend, someday._

 

"Then you an' Mama falled in love an' made me!" Mayla giggled, suddenly very much awake.

"Then we fell in love and made our perfect little Princess." Ian agreed, smiling fondly at the little girl now dancing around on the bed he shared with his husband.

"Best thing we ever did." Mickey commented as he walked into the room, scooping Mayla up without losing any of the swagger his movements always possessed. "Thought you wanted to lay down with Daddy to go to sleep?"

"Me like story, Mama." Mayla giggled, tucking her face into Mickey's neck.

"I know you do, sweet girl, but it's bedtime." Mickey said softly, burying his face in Mayla's hair to take in the soft Lavender and Vanilla scent of her shampoo.

"Okay. I sleep with you?" Mayla asked, glancing up at Mickey innocently.

"Yeah, you can sleep with Mama and Daddy." Mickey agreed, laying the girl back down beside his husband so he could change out of his jeans and dress shirt into more comfortable clothes for bed.

"Love you, Mama." Mayla yawned, rolling over to curl up against Ian's side.

"Mama loves you, too, my sweet little Mayla." Mickey whispered in response, kissing Mayla and then Ian. Ian could still clearly remember the day he realized he was in love with Mickey-though he'd never been able to accurately pinpoint the moment he fell in love with the other man-but he knew this feeling so much better; the feeling of falling harder for his husband with every breath he took. And to Ian, the feeling of falling more in love with Mickey was much better than the moment he learned to understand that love.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a really random idea I came up with, so let me know what you think. Much love!


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